Triangle Shirtwaist Fire In The Book Uprising, By Edith Wharton

The book Uprising is about three young girls in 1910,1911 New York City. An Italian immigrant, Bella. A Russian immigrant, Yetta. And a rich American, Jane. All three girls experience the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in 1911.

The book starts out in the point of view of Mrs. Livingston. This is after the fire. She is talking to Harriet, who is the daughter of one of the shirtwaist factory owners. Harriet wants to talk to Mrs. Livingston about the fire even though she was there. They argue a little bit before Mrs. Livingston agrees.

The book then starts to go into Bella’s point of view. Bella who is fresh off the boat from Italy lives with her cousin Pietro and the Luciano’s in New York, New York. Pietro then sets up a job for her at the shirtwaist factory. But on her first day there is a strike and Bella unknowingly strikes with them. Pietro then yells at Bella because she just lost her job.

She’s a Russian Jewish immigrant who lives with her older sister Rahel. She is a women’s rights activist. She talks to her sister about the strike and Rahel tells her how irresponsible that was because the union has very little money.

Jane is a rich american in New York. She starts out in her house with her chaperone having her hair done. When she leaves to go to tea with her friends she sees the shirtwaist girls spilling out of the factory.When she’s at tea her friend Pearl Kensington says that her cousin Eleanor Kensington is attending college at Vassar. Jane arranges a meeting with Eleanor to talk about the shirtwaist girls and women’s rights.

Bella’s cousin Pietro is taken to South Carolina by his employer without telling Bella. She works for the Luciano’s and the factory for a while to make rent but after finding out that her family is dead she leaves and lives with Rahel and Yetta for a while before moving out with